Ch 7

Plural Nouns

cats · boxes · cities · children

Regular plurals: add -s

Most English nouns become plural by adding -s to the end.

Singular
cat  →  cats
Singular
book  →  books
Singular
house  →  houses
Singular
student  →  students
Most nouns follow this simple rule — just add an "s" sound.

-s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o → add -es

When a noun ends in s, sh, ch, x or o, add -es

-s
bus  →  buses · kiss  →  kisses
-sh
dish  →  dishes · brush  →  brushes
-ch
watch  →  watches · church  →  churches
-x
box  →  boxes · fox  →  foxes
-o
tomato  →  tomatoes · potato  →  potatoes

-y rule

Consonant + y → ies · Vowel + y → just add s

Consonant + y → ies
city  →  cities
baby  →  babies
country  →  countries
Vowel + y → +s
boy  →  boys
day  →  days
key  →  keys

-f / -fe → -ves

Some nouns ending in f or fe change to -ves

leaf
leaves
life
lives
knife
knives
wife
wives
wolf
wolves
Exception: roof → roofs, chief → chiefs (no change)

Common mistakes

Where learners go wrong most often

Three childs ran past.
Three children ran past.
Irregular: child → children
Two deers were there.
Two deer were there.
No change: deer → deer
The informations is wrong.
The information is wrong.
"Information" is uncountable
He bought three breads.
He bought three loaves of bread.
"Bread" is uncountable

Irregular plurals

These don't follow rules — you must memorise them

man
men
woman
women
child
children
foot
feet
tooth
teeth
mouse
mice
person
people
fish, sheep
→ same form (no change)

Recap

Most nouns
+ s
cat → cats
-s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o
+ es
box → boxes
consonant + y
y → ies
city → cities
-f / -fe
→ ves
leaf → leaves
Irregular
memorise
man → men · child → children
Practice now →